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Walks from
How Hill
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Walks that start at
How Hill
How Hill is a great
place to start a walk and there are lots of choices available from
short walks by the river to a range of circles.There is a car park at How Hill and plenty of mooring for boats so it is an ideal starting point howeve you arrive.
How Hill House is a study center
and is not open to the public except on a few special events. However,
the lawn in front of the house is open all year round. It has
this fantastic view:
Close by the the museum at Toad
Hole cottage. It is well worth a visit and you can see the life of a
marshman first hand. A nature trail starts from here and leads you
through the How Hill estate to Crome's Broad. There is a small charge
for this. The museum and nature trail are both closed in winter. The
photograph below shows Toad Hole cottage.
From Toad Hole cottage, cross the
bridge and you will find yourself on the riverbank. This is How Hill
staithe, a public mooring place for boats. All our How Hill walks start
from here.
Walk
One - A Short Walk to the Preserved Windmills
(Note December 2008. Bank work is currently being carried out near the mills and access may be restricted for a few months. It will be worth the wait).
Walk Two - How Hill to Ludham Bridge via Buttle Marsh
A pleasant riverside walk which takes you to the main road at Ludham Bridge. On the way, you pass Buttle Marsh, a newly created nature reserve which has scrapes and reedbeds designed to attract rare bitterns. About a mile along riverside paths, it can be muddy at times.
Start the walk at How Hill staithe and follow the rivebank with the river on your right.
(Note December 2008. Bank work is currently being carried out near the mills and access may be restricted for a few months. It will be worth the wait).
This short walk along the riverbank takes you to two preserved skeleton wind pumps. Just follow the riverside path to the right of the boathouse (see picture above). You can also see one of the mills in the picture so it can't be far. the path has been improved, but it can be a bit muddy. The path stops at the second mill. Just retrace your steps. The picture on the right is Clayrack Mill. It is a scoopwheel wind pump which was used to drain the marshes. It still works and the Ludham Archive has some film of it in action. There is a clip on our interactive CD. |
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Walk Two - How Hill to Ludham Bridge via Buttle Marsh
A pleasant riverside walk which takes you to the main road at Ludham Bridge. On the way, you pass Buttle Marsh, a newly created nature reserve which has scrapes and reedbeds designed to attract rare bitterns. About a mile along riverside paths, it can be muddy at times.
Start the walk at How Hill staithe and follow the rivebank with the river on your right.
You get excellent views of Turf
Fen Mill and Reedham Water beyond it. The marshes on the other side of
the river are still cut for reed in the traditional way. You can visit
this area on a boat called The Electric Eel. Enquire at Toad Hole
cottage for details of when the boat is operating. You usually need to
book in advance.
At the end of the moorings, the
path turns left and goes behind a reed bed. This reed bed is a
particular type of broadland habitat where the reeds are open to the
rise and fall of the tidal water. We have seen otters here, go quietly.
You now come to a junction of tracks where the path you are on dips down and joins a track coming in from the left. This is the main junction of paths where the various How Hill Walks diverge.
To continue to Ludham Bridge, take the path to the right at this point staying high up on the bank. Follow this path to the riverbank and then follow the river. You will pass Buttle Marsh on your left and eventually arrive at Ludham Bridge.
You now come to a junction of tracks where the path you are on dips down and joins a track coming in from the left. This is the main junction of paths where the various How Hill Walks diverge.
To continue to Ludham Bridge, take the path to the right at this point staying high up on the bank. Follow this path to the riverbank and then follow the river. You will pass Buttle Marsh on your left and eventually arrive at Ludham Bridge.
Walk
Three. A Short Circle round How Hill
This short circular walk of about a mile follows public footpaths and country lanes to give you a quick view of the different habitats round How Hill.
To start this walk, follow Walk Two until you come to the main junction of paths. Turn left at the junction and follow a well defined track between fences.
The track becomes a hollow way
passing between hedges and then turns right by a house and becomes a
country lane. Just beyond the house, turn left into a public footpath
and follow this path as it curves through fields and crosses a bridge.
This is the view from the bridge. This area was once much more open and had a large pond. Now it has gradually turned into carr woodland. It is still quite wet and boggy.
Cross the bridge and follow the path through a hole in the hedge to a road. Turn left and follow the road past How Hill Farm back to the car park at How Hill.
Walk Four - How Hill to Ludham Village via The Clint.
An interesting walk into Ludham with good views of Buttle Marsh. About 2 miles, can be muddy in places.
To start this walk, follow Walk Two until you come to the main junction of paths. Go staight on through the gate opposite and follow the grassy track with woods on your left.
Continue along the track until you come to this gate where the public footpath turns sharp left and starts to rise up a hill.
Go up the hill keeping the fence and eventually the wood on your right.
Pass through this gate and continue along the path
This is the view from the bridge. This area was once much more open and had a large pond. Now it has gradually turned into carr woodland. It is still quite wet and boggy.
Cross the bridge and follow the path through a hole in the hedge to a road. Turn left and follow the road past How Hill Farm back to the car park at How Hill.
Walk Four - How Hill to Ludham Village via The Clint.
An interesting walk into Ludham with good views of Buttle Marsh. About 2 miles, can be muddy in places.
To start this walk, follow Walk Two until you come to the main junction of paths. Go staight on through the gate opposite and follow the grassy track with woods on your left.
Continue along the track until you come to this gate where the public footpath turns sharp left and starts to rise up a hill.
Go up the hill keeping the fence and eventually the wood on your right.
Pass through this gate and continue along the path
To your right, you have excellent
views over Buttle Marsh, a special habitat created for bitterns. The
cliff below you is called The Clint. It is hard to believe that there
was oce a railway running along here and tbe cliff bank was used for
gunnery training in W.W.II.
The path now becomes a more well defined track between hedges. After a short distance, you approach a farm yard.
Continue along the path and
through a farmyard with ruined barns on
your left. Go through the metal gate and continue downhill along the
road.
Just past the farmhouse, turn left
uphill into a narrow footpath
between the farm hedge and a wire fence.
At the top of the hill with a farm gate on your left, turn right into a track. It can be a bit overgrown and muddy here, but keep going.
(If you are on Walk 5, the large circle, do not turn right here but go straight on following the public footpath until you meet a road.)
At the top of the hill with a farm gate on your left, turn right into a track. It can be a bit overgrown and muddy here, but keep going.
(If you are on Walk 5, the large circle, do not turn right here but go straight on following the public footpath until you meet a road.)
Keep following this muddy track until you reach a road junction.
Cross the main road and pass
through the gap in the hedge opposite. Turn left and follow the field
path with the field on your right and the road on your left. There are
good views of Ludham Hall on your right.
Stay on the field path until it
comes to an end. Continue along the road past Ludham Village Hall and
into Ludham Village.
Walk
Five - The Large Circle via the Clint and Sandy Loke.
An excellent circular walk of about 2 miles. Good views of Buttle Marsh
To start this walk, follow Walk 4. When walk 5 branches off to the right just past the farm house, continue straight on along the public footpath until you reach a road. Turn right here and follow the road slightly uphill until you are almost at the road junction.
Just before the road juction where the hedge starts on your left, turn left downhill along a broad track with an open field on your left and a hedgerow with tall trees on your right. This is called Sandy Loke.
At the end of Sandy Loke, pass through a belt of trees and meet a road. Turn left here and follow the road back to How Hill.
An excellent circular walk of about 2 miles. Good views of Buttle Marsh
To start this walk, follow Walk 4. When walk 5 branches off to the right just past the farm house, continue straight on along the public footpath until you reach a road. Turn right here and follow the road slightly uphill until you are almost at the road junction.
Just before the road juction where the hedge starts on your left, turn left downhill along a broad track with an open field on your left and a hedgerow with tall trees on your right. This is called Sandy Loke.
At the end of Sandy Loke, pass through a belt of trees and meet a road. Turn left here and follow the road back to How Hill.